How to get campsite Villagers to move in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Villagers in Animal Crossing can be an extremely vital part of the game. Each villager brings something to an island that is unique and helpful to players.

Whether that's a pop-up business like the Able Sisters Tailor Shop or another island building like the museum or just a traveling art salesman like Redd, all villagers provide something players. They all set up residences, too.

Getting villagers to visit an island is easy because they'll pretty much just do it. Visits are random. Getting them to stay is a different story. Here's how to get campsite villagers in Animal Crossing to move.

Raymond in the campsite. Image via The Bell Tree Forum

Campsite villagers in Animal Crossing

The campsite in Animal Crossing is a site on the island that allows villagers who don't live on the island to visit it and stay for a while. While the other villagers build houses on the island and set up a more permanent residence (unless players decide to kick them out), if there's no space on the island or they haven't been invited to stay, these villagers need somewhere to at least stay temporarily. That's when they go to the campsite. The campsite always exists on an island.

I've not played Animal Crossing in aaages, I went on this morning just to have a mooch and I have Dobie in my Campsite! 😭🥰

— Laura-anne 🌼 (@xolauraannee) July 6, 2021

Villagers who reside in the campsite have two options: to eventually leave or to join the island. The latter can only be done when invited by the player and if there's space on the island. If players invite a certain villager to their campsite three separate days and complete the villager's DIY requests each time, the player can then invite the villager to stay on the island.

This will allow the player to move the villager to the island permanently. The villager will then begin construction on his or her house and be able to contribute to the island. The campsite method is more difficult and random than the mystery island method where players invite villagers from the tours to live on their islands.

Villager being invited to stay. Image via Reddit

Kicking villagers off the island isn't easy and can sometimes be a little sad, so remember that when inviting villagers to stay. They will take up space so inviting every villager will result in needing to remove them to get the desired ones.

i regularly think about how i had raymond as the first campsite villager on my first animal crossing island, before the internet got weird about him. i hated him so much i did everything in my power to get rid of him as soon as possible. a wasted opportunity

— maisie prudames (@maispru) July 11, 2021

Which villagers are the most desirable?